Big Second Half Leads Hawks Past Chargers in Conference Opener

The No. 11 Santiago Canyon College men's basketball team found themselves in a dogfight against the Cypress College Chargers on Wednesday night in their Orange Empire Conference (OEC) opener. After trailing by one point at the conclusion of the first half, the Hawks clawed back to outscore the Chargers by 14 points in the second half, securing an 88-75 victory.

The Hawks were down by 14 points just 10 minutes into the contest as the Chargers controlled the early stages. However, consecutive three-pointers by freshman guard Efe Gucoglu trimmed the deficit to eight points, and a jumper from EJ Bryson, followed by another three-pointer from sophomore Eli Arthurton, brought the Hawks to within five at 29-24 with eight minutes remaining in the first half.

Although the Chargers continued to hold the lead, three-pointers from sophomore Trevor Manning and freshman Charles Harnish kept the Hawks within striking distance as the first half wound down. Harnish would hit another three-pointer in the final moments to bring the Hawks within one at halftime.

The second half was a back-and-forth affair, with each team exchanging the lead and the differential never exceeding more than three points. However, at the 12-minute mark, the Hawks put together an 11-4 run that helped them pull away from the Chargers.

Arthurton kicked off the run with a layup assisted by freshman Colin Weems. Harnish then worked his way to the charity stripe, converting both attempts, followed by another bucket from Gucoglu. Weems added a layup, and Gucoglu hit another three-pointer to give the Hawks an eight-point advantage.

From that point on, it was all Hawks as they cruised to a 13-point win.

Weems posted a game-high 22 points on a 6-for-7 shooting performance from beyond the arc. He also came close to a double-double, contributing six assists and hauling in five rebounds.

Gucoglu was lights out off the bench, scoring 16 points on a 4-for-7 clip from three-point range. Manning added 12 points, while sophomore Tony Colley finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.

SCC shot over 50 percent from the floor for the second consecutive game, recording one of their best performances from three-point range with a 58.6 percent mark, while committing just eight turnovers.